My Symphony Soldier
by psychoticphoenix
Summary: A series of DMxHG one-shot songfics inspired by songs from The Cab's album Symphony Soldier. Genres and ratings vary. Listed as Complete because each chapter stands alone. Rated T is an average rating.
1. Angel With A Shotgun

**Author's Note: **So, here's the first one-shot songfic for this series. It's inspired by the first song on The Cab's album Symphony Soldier, _**Angel With A Shotgun**_. I did my best to let the song inspire the flow of this one-shot. I hope you enjoy it!

My other multi-chap fics will be back in progress shortly, I promise. :D

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Romance/Angst/Drama

**Disclaimer: **The song and the characters are not mine.

* * *

The war had been raging on for months now. The atmosphere in #12 Grimmauld place had gone from heavy to downright insufferable in such a short time. Members of the Order came and went, sometimes never coming back again. The number of casualties increased with each passing day until no one could even bear to talk about it anymore. Friends and family grieved, but they'd rather their loved ones be dead than at the mercy of the Death Eaters where they will be tortured for information _then _killed. Doors constantly opened and closed, indicating the departure and arrival of Order members. Some days they caught prisoners of their own. Today was one of those days.

Hermione Granger had been in her room poring over some of the information the imprisoned Gregory Goyle had told them under the influence of Veritaserum a few weeks back when she caught word that Harry Potter and his group had just arrived with a handful of prisoners in tow. She was clambering down the stairs to ensure that her best friends were safe when a flash of red caught her eye. Ron Weasley was firmly pushing one of the prisoners, who, like the others, had their head covered with a dirty cloth bag to keep them from seeing where they were, towards the kitchen where the rest of the Order was.

While the other prisoners were led into the small room that was previously Kreacher's before Harry had him move into Regulus' old room, the one with Ron was pushed into a chair in the middle of the kitchen. Hermione followed the others in there and gave Harry a questioning look. He gave her a grim smile in return before lifting the bag to uncover the unknown prisoner's face.

Draco Malfoy.

"Mister Draco Malfoy had willingly surrendered and handed over those other men to us. He has vowed to provide us with information about the other side. He has decided to work for the Order."

Various reactions to this piece of information exploded over the place, some shaking their heads and waving their hands vehemently, the others looking doubtful, and a few stood stock-still, shocked. Hermione had barely processed what Harry just announced before she saw Snape walk over to the young Malfoy and give him a pat on the back with a nod.

Draco Malfoy had decided to work for the light.

* * *

"Granger."

Hermione gave a start when she opened one of the cupboards late one night and a voice called her name before she could even peek inside. She turned abruptly and looked at the owner of the voice.

He was leaning on the doorframe, gazing back at her with a weary expression.

"Malfoy." She acknowledged, and he gave her a small smile. It wasn't the smirk he wore all those years in Hogwarts, but it wasn't a heartfelt smile either. It was the smile of one who has been in a war. Of one who's seen too much death and was tired. Hermione knew that, because everyone around her had that smile.

She had that smile.

It has been two weeks since Draco was brought into the headquarters, and he has proven his sincerity and loyalty to the Order since then. Death Eaters have been caught thanks to the information he told them. Barely anyone gave him any dirty looks anymore when he appeared at the kitchen during meals under Molly's insistence.

"What brings you here to the kitchen in the middle of the night?" Hermione asked casually. She still wasn't used to interacting with the boy who had teased and bullied them for years like this, but she did it anyway. If Harry and Ron can talk with Draco Malfoy without even wanting to punch him, then she can too.

He stares at her for a second before he shrugs. "I couldn't sleep."

She nodded slowly and turned again, looking at the contents of the cupboard, well aware of the fact that she had just turned her back on the former Death Eater, knowing he could strike her if he wanted. But she trusted him. He was one of them now.

This gesture was not lost to Draco, whose eyes widened a bit when he saw her turn and tiptoe to look in the cupboard. _She _trusted _him_. He didn't know why, but that realization made something in his chest lighten.

When she faced him again, she had two mugs in her hand. She set them down on the table and rummaged in another cupboard until she found the items she was looking for. She put the tea bags in the mugs. With a wave of her wand, hot water filled both mugs to the brim. Grabbing two teaspoons from a drawer, she pushed the other mug across the table. "Tea?" she offered, already grabbing the sugar container from the middle of the table.

He approached the table and sat across her with a mumble of thanks.

He doesn't know what started them talking, but soon they find themselves with empty mugs and chuckling and bantering over something they were discussing. Then her expression turns grim as she recounts a story about Mad-Eye, and he sees her grasp on the mug tighten. "I don't just want to survive this war, you know. I want to _live_." Then she starts crying, and the tears she's been holding in for such a long time begin to spill over. She meets his sympathetic gaze across the table and starts to apologize before he stands up and approaches her. He puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder and he doesn't speak. She stares at him in wonder before she bursts into tears again, burying her face in her hands.

* * *

They find themselves in the kitchen during a lot of late nights when no amount of tossing and turning could get them to sleep. One night they were sitting in silence before he speaks up, his voice low and steady, and starts telling her what had pushed him to switch sides. He told her how he saw his father and the other Death Eaters capture innocent muggle-borns and torture them in the dungeons of his own home. When he reached the part where he was telling her about the screams that haunted his every waking moment in the Manor, he began to tremble.

Hermione took his hands with hers across the table and whispered softly. "You don't have to talk about it, Draco." She had learned to call him by his given name. Calling him Malfoy was a painful reminder of his connection to his father, the Death Eater.

He shook his head, tears starting to form in his own eyes. "I couldn't bear it. They were so young. They didn't deserve that. No one deserves to be in such pain." He shuddered as flashbacks of blood and screams haunted his thoughts.

"Sometimes…" he began. He looked up at her warm brown eyes and gulped, wondering if he had the courage to tell her this.

Hermione saw something in his steel eyes that made her heart clench. She squeezed his hands to reassure him.

"Sometimes I saw you in their place." He exhaled slowly. Her breath hitched. "And those were the worst nights. It was then that I knew, that I couldn't care less if he disowned me, I had to keep… to keep _you_ safe. Hermione, I'm so sorry. For everything." He gasped, the sobs wracking his body.

He saw her lip tremble at this confession before she leaned over the table and kissed him lightly, telling him of the unspoken forgiveness she gave him for all those years of calling her a Mudblood.

* * *

Harry and Ron notice the change immediately. Hermione was giving affectionate looks at Draco, and he returned these looks with equally affectionate ones.

Ron was pissed. "He's delusional if he thinks she'll love him after what he's done to her. Let's say we forget what he and his family did to our friends before he jumped ship. How could she possibly forgive him after all he'd done to her at Hogwarts?"

Harry was quiet, but his jaw was clenched as Ron continued his rant.

Molly Weasley shakes her head at them and murmurs, "Let them have that happiness during these times. Draco's a changed young man, and I'm sure the both of you had seen that too. Hermione's a smart girl. She knows what she's doing."

They nodded slowly, but it takes a few days before they could shake the anger out of their systems. It took time, but Draco apologized to them for all his wrongdoings to them during their time at Hogwarts, and told them how much he loved Hermione. He unwittingly proves this one day while they were on a raid.

He shields her just as his own father was going to inflict the Cruciatus on her while she was fending off Greyback. He writhes in pain on the ground before miraculously finding the strength to clutch his wand and hit Lucius Malfoy with the Killing Curse. The shock of what had just occurred shocks all of them before the Death Eaters flee.

Hermione looked at Draco with stricken eyes. "Draco." She croaked, running to him.

He caught her and hugged her tight. He buried his face into her hair and inhaled her scent. "You're safe." It was as if he was affirming the fact more to himself than to her. "You're alive. You're safe." She nodded, shifting their position so he wasn't facing the unmoving body of his father.

"Draco, are you all right?" she asked in a worried tone.

He continues mumbling into her hair and she tightens her grasp on him. "You're all I have, Hermione. I'd die for you. I love you, Hermione Granger."

"I love you too, Draco."

He pushes her away for a split second before pulling her back to him in a passionate kiss.

* * *

They win the war. As those who fought on their side whoop and cheer around them, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger exchanged relieved looks. "It's over."

"You're my angel, you know that?" she asks him as they kiss. Fred and George pass by them, laughing and playfully patting Ron's head as was looking adoringly into the eyes of Lavender Brown. Ginny and Harry were not so far off, caught in their own post-war hugging and kissing.

He snorts. "Why would you say that?"

"You saved my life that day, and all the other times after that."

They parted, and he put his forehead on hers, staring at their entwined hands.

"You're worth fighting and dying for."

"Mhmmm…"

"And I told you, you're everything I have."

She steps back and cocks her head to the side. "That, I'm not so sure about."

He looks are her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

She nudges her head in the direction of the grounds. He turns to look, and he sees his mother talking to Tonks and Remus she glanced at them and smiled. His mother, who had lied to Voldemort about Harry being dead. He felt a surge in his heart and smiled at the woman beside him.

"Come on, I want to introduce you to my mother." He says.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yep, I let them live. Anyway, how was it? I know it's kinda cliché, as so many people have repeatedly used this plot over and over again, I guess you could just say that this is my take on it. Review, please? Reviews are my crack… and driving force to write. :D Next one-shot will be inspired by the next track on the list, _**Temporary Bliss**_. Any guesses on how it will go? :D


	2. Temporary Bliss

**Author's Note: **So, here's the next one-shot songfic for this series. It's inspired by the second song on The Cab's album Symphony Soldier,_** Temporary Bliss**_. I did my best to let the song inspire the flow of this one-shot. I hope you enjoy it! Again, this story is a stand-alone, not related at all to the previous one. It's quite canon, so the characters who have died in the war and before that… regrettably remain dead. For this chapter, at least.

**Rating: **T-M

**Genre: **Romance/Angst

**Disclaimer: **The song and the characters are not mine.

* * *

With a moan, Hermione came undone at the hands of Draco Malfoy.

"Hermione." He breathed heavily, trailing kisses on her thighs as she writhed in pleasure beneath him. Her hands were still in his hair, where they have been entangled for the past few minutes.

"Draco." With another moan, she pulled at his hair and brought his face to hers, closing the gap between them with a kiss. He groaned, and she felt his arousal once more. With a sly smile on her lips, she pushed against him, putting as little distance as she could between their bodies.

"Fuck." He cursed, thrusting into her.

* * *

Hermione lay on her side, clutching her side of the blanket with such ferocity one would think that someone was actually trying to take it from her, but the other occupant of the bed was sleeping peacefully, where he had lain since he rolled off her a few minutes earlier, both of them having reached blissful climaxes. Draco Malfoy looks peaceful when asleep, Hermione mused, running her gaze from his blonde locks to his closed eyelids, where she knew pools of silver lay beneath, to his lips, swollen from her kisses and from what he'd been doing to her… Hermione blushed, her gaze continuing their journey to his chest, to his navel, stopping short at the point where the silk green blanket covered the rest of his body. Hermione's eyes clouded over at the thought of what lay beneath, but she clutched her side of the sheet even tighter across her chest when she noted where Draco's hands were. One was cradling his head, and the other was settled by the blanket on his hip.

The sky had started to change into a bluish hue, and Hermione sighed, knowing that it would be sunrise soon. Hoping to catch some sleep once she got home, she eased herself off the bed, picking up her wand and collecting and wearing her discarded clothes on the floor, and silently muttering an accio to summon her blazer, which, by unexplained circumstances, had found itself on top of the bookcase in Draco's room.

* * *

"Good morning, Mister Malfoy." greeted Hermione Granger cordially with a slight edge to her voice as she passed by his office in the Ministry, heels clacking in her hurry to reach her own without being late.

He looked up from his paperwork with a smirk. "Morning, Granger. I trust you had a wonderful evening?" he grinned maliciously, looking at the hickey on her neck she had forgotten to put a concealing charm on in her haste.

With a hiss, Hermione started running full force, greeting the people she passed by with a breathless smile, leaving an amused Draco Malfoy to his paperwork.

Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered.

* * *

Before lunch had even rolled by, Hermione found herself staring blankly at the papers on pureblood laws on her desk as she thought about how she had gotten in such arrangement with Draco Malfoy in the first place.

* * *

_It was just after the Malfoys had gotten released from the time they served in Azkaban (with Lucius getting a time just as short as his wife's because Narcissa had lied to Voldemort about Harry and Draco getting the same time because it had been to his defense during the trials that he was just threatened to do most of the things he had done for Voldemort). Most of the other Death Eaters were serving life sentences, while the Malfoys only had to stay for two years. Because most members of the wizarding world still harbored hatred for the family (mostly directed to Lucius, as most felt a tad bit indebted to Narcissa while Draco's was mostly for association), Narcissa and Lucius agreed to quietly retire to an undisclosed Muggle country where they will live as Muggles, surrendering their wands and their rights to use magic to the Ministry under one condition. That Draco got to stay and keep all of their possessions, and get a second chance. Shacklebolt had agreed with the consent of the remaining Order members._

_That year, it was announced that a celebration will be held at the Ministry to commemorate the end of the war and the lives of those who had been lost in the process. Some thought it was rather callous of the Ministry to do this, since most of them had just, if not haven't, gotten over their grief for the lost. But war hero Harry Potter had given a public speech about how they all had to stand together even two years later, to keep each other strong, and that they owed it to their lost friends and family to move on, together. His speech had been met by tears, but on the day of the commemoration, people began to arrive, albeit with somber expressions on their faces. As the evening progressed, more and more people came, and the first hint of a smile was seen, the cheerfulness slowly spreading all throughout the hall in no time. _

_At some point, as if a gigantic monkey wrench had been hurled in the middle of the then quite cheerful event, heads started turning to the group of people standing awkwardly by the door. And then people turned to Harry Potter, the betrayal stinging. How could he do this to them?_

_For there, by the door stood a group of former Slytherins, sons and daughters of the Death Eaters that had given the people in attendance so much grief in the first place. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and a handful others were there without the familiar cockiness in their features, replaced by an obvious desire to run for their lives. _

_Glares turned to puzzled expressions when they saw that Harry Potter was just as shocked and frozen as they were. Then, with a maddening calm, the girl sitting beside him stood up. _

_Hermione Granger, Gryffindor's golden girl. _

_She walked over to the group cowering at the door, and with a shaky but friendly smile took Pansy's hand and led her inside the hall. The tension increased, and Ron and George Weasley visibly bristled as the rest of the group took tentative steps forward. The hall was eerily silent, someone having turned off the festive music when they realized what was going on. Soon the group was standing in front of Kingsley Shacklebolt, where Hermione released Pansy's hand, a shudder running through the girl as she inched closer to her housemates once more. Hermione stepped forward and murmured something to Shacklebolt who gave her a look before nodding once. _

"_Hermione." The pained voice of George Weasley rang throughout the room, his voice tight as he stood, ready to voice out the question that had been running around everyone's mind at that point. "What are they doing here? What are _you_ doing?" _

_Hermione regarded him with the same calm expression. "They lost people they loved too, George. Not unlike us, they too, were victims of the war." _

_George laughed, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. "_Victims_?" he laughed. "Tell me," he hissed, turning his eyes to Pansy, who flinched and took a step towards Blaise. "Have you stopped looking into a mirror, because every damn time you look, every fucking time, you see the person you know you want to, desperately want to, but could never bring back, ever?" _

_Ginny Weasley buried her head into her father's robes, the thought of Fred bringing back so much pain. Arthur Weasley put his arm across Molly's shoulder to steady his wife, who breaths had begun to become uneven._

_Theodore opened his mouth to speak but quickly clamped it shut, shoulders slacking as more and more people began to reach for their wands. _

"_Granger, we'll just leave." Draco Malfoy muttered to Hermione, who had positioned herself in front of them in a protective stance. _

"_No." she replied stubbornly. "Dumbledore would have wanted you here." She said, her voice breaking as she mentioned their departed headmaster's name._

_The seconds ticked by so painfully slow, people getting more and more agitated by the second, until a small voice shattered the silence that had followed George's outburst. "Auntie 'Mione." Warbled a sleepy Ted Lupin's voice as he slowly but steadily made his was towards the group Hermione was currently protecting. When he was close enough, he blinked sleepily up at Hermione, his locks changing color with each blink. "Who are they?" he asked, pointing to the Slytherins. Seeing her opportunity, Hermione seized it. She dropped down on one knee to be face to face with Teddy and smiled. _

"_Teddy, this is your Uncle Draco and his friends." She said, pointing to Draco. _

_Teddy looked up at the blonde, confused. "Uncle?" _

_Hermione nodded, praying silently that this would work. "He's your Mom's cousin." _

_Draco's eyes widened. He had never even talked to his cousin Nymphadora. This was her son? "Um, hey." He croaked with a nod to his young nephew he hoped was deemed acceptable. _

_The young boy beamed. "Wotcher." He said, his hair turning golden, obviously pleased that a grown-up had talked to him. Ignoring the fact that Draco looked like a mess, with dark shadows beneath his haunted looking eyes and a gaunt frame, he ambled over to where Draco stood and raised both of his hands up in front of him expectantly. Lost on what to do, Draco eyes frantically searched for answers before catching Hermione's stare as she mouthed the words _carry him_. Fumbling to pick up his cousin's son, Draco breathed in relief when Teddy gave a happy gurgle, his eyes turning silver, a smaller reflection of the young man carrying him. _

_Remus Lupin, his former DADA professor was this child's father. His aunt Bellatrix and Dolohov had made this child an orphan. Draco realized in comprehension. His own aunt killed her sister's own daughter. Guilt-ridden with a shame brought by a sin not his own, Draco made a move to set his young nephew down. But before he could, he realized that Shacklebolt had finally started to speak in an attempt to appease the people. "Listen, kid." Draco mumbled, looking into the shockingly silver orbs of Teddy. _

_Teddy pouted. "My name's Teddy." _

"_Okay. Teddy, listen, I'm not someone you should trust, okay?" _

_Teddy's eyes and hair lapsed into shades of brown that Draco noted were similar to Granger's before he looked at his 'Auntie 'Mione'. "But auntie 'Mione trusts you." He said, seeing Hermione's encouraging nod. "And I trust anybody she trusts. They say she's the bri'est witch of her age." Teddy beamed, obviously proud of the muggleborn witch. Looking back at Draco, he started chanting louder and louder. "I trust you, I trust you, I TRUST UNCLE DRACO!" he said, dissolving into a fit of laughter. His voice echoed all around the room, shocking all of the people. _

"_But I..." _

_Young Teddy Lupin looked around the room, and with a wreckless bravery his father (and mother, without the wrecklesness) would have been proud of, interrupted Kingsley's speech and shouted at the top of his lungs. "I trust Uncle Draco and his friends! Anybody who's got a problem with that should go tell me!" he bellowed, throwing his arms around Draco protectively. His locks and eyes were once again in the same shade as his first cousin once removed. _

_That sort of sealed the deal, and Draco and the other former Slytherins were allowed to stay. Needless to say they stuck together and no one wanted to approach them anyway. The celebrations continued, and soon almost everybody was enjoying themselves once more, casting an occasional furtive glance or two in the direction of the group. Teddy absolutely refused to let go of Draco until he had fallen asleep, then came the second shock of the night as Harry Potter went over to the back of the hall where Draco and the others were to get his sleeping godson. Draco handed him over wordlessly and Harry gave a short nod before heading back to his seat. _

_The third shock came shortly, and it was when the celebrations were well underway, the cluster of former Slytherins having shaken off some of the tension they felt to nibble on the refreshments offered. The middle of the hall had become a dance floor, and people eventually tired of glancing every so often at them, and most were now on the dance floor enjoying themselves. Ron Weasley walked over to where they were, and had asked Pansy Parkinson for a dance. A whisper fell over the room before a very shocked Pansy said yes and they made their way over to the dance floor, the crowd parting to let them through. Ginny followed her brother's lead and had asked Blaise Zabini, and he too agreed with shock evident on his face. Soon most of them were mingling with the rest of the crowd, the tension in the air gone and replaced mostly with silent forgiveness. Draco had just grabbed a glass of punch when he caught sight of Hermione at the bar, a contented smile on her face. _

"_Is it true?" Hermione jumped, surprised that someone had spoken to her so suddenly. Some of her friends were still a bit miffed with her actions earlier in the evening, even though they've gone down the path of forgiveness themselves. She turned and saw Draco Malfoy standing a few feet behind her._

"_What is?" she asked, sipping her firewhiskey, curious as to what made him approach her. Most of the mingling had been the result of the majority of the crowd approaching the Slytherins, not the other way around. _

"_What the ki- Teddy, said earlier. Do you really trust me?" _

_She shrugged. "Kingsley invited you lot, didn't he?" _

_He nodded. "Yeah, though with the stunt you pulled earlier, people probably think you did." _

"_I'm a believer in second chances, Malfoy…" Hermione quietly admitted, downing the rest of her firewhiskey. "And that sins of the father… are not for their children to bear." She finished, looking at Pansy, who was now looking absolutely mystified at something Luna had just told her, then to Theodore who was tentatively smiling at Hannah Abbot as they danced, to Blaise as George slipped him a ton-tongue toffee, to the Greengrass sisters who were animatedly talking to Neville and Professor Sprout about Herbology, one by one she looked at the children of the Death Eaters that had brought chaos and destruction in their lives two years ago, and finally she looked at Draco's downcast expression. He looked up at her as she finished speaking, a new shine in his eyes as he offered her a broken smile._

_He took a step towards her. "Then I hope you forgive me for this." He said before capturing her lips with his own.  
_

* * *

Hermione sighed, trying to shake herself out of her reverie. Her mind kept wandering to the events that followed that kiss. They had found themselves apparating to the Malfoy Manor after a series of kisses had turned into a full-blown make out session, no words passing between them except moans and occasional growls laced with each other's names and a handful of curse words as they fumbled to remove each other's clothes. What happened next, Hermione blushed, was history.

* * *

_She had found herself staring at the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy, both arms instinctively wrapped around himself, as if the Dementors would come to him even then, in his sleep. Slipping out during the wee hours of the morning, Hermione was thankful that the wards around the Manor were removed during the investigations and that Draco had neglected to put them back up._

_The following weeks, she tried to justify what had happened but only came up with cliché explanations like the 'I was drunk, and he was lonely' excuse. Variations included the 'we were both drunk' and 'we were both lonely' ones and the other explanations she came up with were just as cliché if not downright unbelievable. It took her quite some time to realize that she needn't justify what had happened because apparently no one knew about it save for the two of them. She didn't see him until three weeks later, bumping into him at Flourish and Blotts. He had smirked at her, looking very much like the Draco Malfoy she had known at Hogwarts. The pallor of his face had noticeably decreased, or in his case, gone back to the same shade it was before he'd been sent to Azkaban. But the pain was still quite visible in his metallic eyes, something that Hermione didn't fail to notice. _

_That night she had received an owl from him, asking her to come over to the Manor. Worried, she did, and had found him curled up in the library, staring wordlessly into the night. _

"_Draco?" he made no move to indicate that he heard her, but when Hermione sat down beside him on the floor and touched his arm comfortingly a lone tear found its way down his cheek._

_Hermione realized that yet again, she was sneaking out the following morning. With a frustrated sigh, she vowed to never again let him use her like that just because he was hurting and lonely. A month went by after that, with Hermione not running into Draco once more. She heard word from time to time about the witches that were seen with the Malfoy heir, and she felt relieved that if he was back to his womanizing ways and not bothering her, then he must have at least moved on. She was perfectly fine with it. _

_Until the owl came again one night, tapping urgently on her window. With a grimace, Hermione looked at her bedside clock and muttered that Draco Malfoy would pay for waking her up at 2:30 in the morning. _

_And so began the series of early morning owls and trips to the Manor where Hermione always ended up mentally scolding herself for letting him use her yet again as she apparates home and promptly falling asleep as soon as she reaches her own bed. _

_He never held her afterwards, anyway, so why bother staying there?  
_

* * *

Realizing with horror that she had daydreamed the past two hours and that lunch was in a few minutes, Hermione scrambled to actually get some work done before Kingsley decides to fire her for her excessive tardiness _and _idleness while she has some work to do. Narrowing her eyes, she looked suspiciously at the ivory colored paper folded on top of her desk. That wasn't there earlier, was it?

_See you later._

The note was written in Malfoy's practiced script. Hermione sighed.

* * *

"I don't understand why you always arrive quarter past two." Draco said, a slight smirk on his face as a frazzled Hermione arrived with a _pop_.

She sighed. "Because I spend the whole night debating on whether or not I should come here. By one I've concluded not to, and by two my mind will have changed again. By two thirty I'd decide not, and yet I always find myself apparating here minutes later." She muttered under her breath.

Draco regarded her with an amused look, "What was that?"

Another heavy sigh. "Nothing."

He didn't speak, instead opting to kiss her. Her body responded almost immediately, the heat pooling between her legs. No matter how much she hated being treated like some easy girl, Hermione still couldn't help but love the things Draco does to her.

But that's not what hurt the most.

* * *

_He only called her over when he was in a bad mood. At least that's how it started. Hermione couldn't figure out why he didn't just call all of the other girls at his disposal if all he wanted was some "comforting". But soon the owls came within smaller intervals, until she realized she didn't even bother to question it anymore._

_She realized why one night as Draco rolled over to his side and his angelic face caught the light of the moon from outside. Hermione let her hand brush over his face once. _

"_I love you." She heard herself whisper, her words lost in the wind while he continued to sleep peacefully, hands cradling his head. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had fallen in love with Draco Malfoy in the midst of this… thing between them. _

_Hermione didn't sneak out that night. _

_She fled.  
_

* * *

Draco stared at her. "What do you mean, you're not doing this anymore?" he asked, his hand reaching out to cup her face.

Hermione took a step back, though she desperately wanted to feel his touch. She hadn't responded to his owls for a week, and she firmed up her resolve to put a stop to this. "Exactly that. You're messing me up, Draco."

He chuckled, but the mirth didn't quite reach his eyes. "I tend to do that."

At the sound of his laugh Hermione just wanted to close the distance between them as much as she could, but she held her ground. "We're not even friends with benefits, hell, we're not even friends."

His eyes bore into hers. "Granger, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't keep doing this, I don't want to be some girl you can just call when you're lonely. It's driving me crazy!"

Draco crossed his arms in front of him, his jaw clenching. A pained look found its way to his face.

"And it sucks, because I can't help but answer your calls, like some pathetic puppy. I can't keep doing this, being with you like this."

"Hermione…"

"Don't you 'Hermione' me! _I am not your bitch. I don't want to be your slut! It hurts, Draco, it fucking hurts to be used like that._"

Draco sighed, the pain exploding in his chest. She thought he was using her?

"It's hardly fair." She cried, the tears streaming down her face as she backed away from him step by step. "Because I fell in love with you."

* * *

_The morning after that first night, Draco found himself waking up from a nightmare, hands instinctively reaching for the woman beside him._

_Or at least, for the woman he _thought _was beside him. _

_Blinking the tears from his eyes, he desperately grabbed the sheets that had been on her earlier. They were cold. She was gone. With a strangled sob, Draco buried his face into the pillow she had lain on, flashes of his dream coming back and filling him with intense fear. _

"_Hermione…"  
_

* * *

_He had trouble sleeping all the time, and his instincts urged him to call her. Somehow he felt peaceful with her. He'd tried dating other girls, but they were only interested in using him as a ticket to fame. They never genuinely cared about him, and he'd dropped them like hot potatoes. No one would ever be the same as Hermione. He was afraid though, that she'd leave him again just as she did that night. Until one night he couldn't take it anymore, and he found himself writing a hasty note and sending his owl to find her. He was haunted, and being with her made him forget about his demons and feel whole again._

_Still, every morning, she'd leave him, once again broken. _

_If the only bliss she could offer was temporary, then so be it. He just needed her, and having her in this manner was better than nothing at all. He couldn't hold her because if she didn't want to stay then he didn't want to give her any reason to not come at all. She probably slept with him purely out of pity, but he doubted she could ever love him. _

_He couldn't offer her his heart. He was already broken, and he couldn't offer her someone as broken as himself, so he was surprised that she kept coming for him, even if he didn't offer her anything in return. He was afraid she'd laugh at him, at his impertinence to love her, the war hero's best friend. So he couldn't give her his heart. But he couldn't help it. _

_She'd taken it without her knowing.  
_

* * *

_His sanity was always on the brink when she'd arrive, and he'd mask his relief with witty remarks. Unwittingly, little by little, she'd helped him move on with his life, and he even got a job at the Ministry. He made love to her, his heart bursting every time because she actually let him be with her. Without her he was lost, and soon he found himself getting more and more addicted to her._

_Which is why he felt as though his world was tearing at the seams when she told him she was done with him.  
_

* * *

She turned on her heel and started to walk away before he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him in a kiss so different from the ones they had shared before. "Don't leave me. I love you." He whispered, his voice hoarse from the tears he had started to shed.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I couldn't… I couldn't offer you my heart because I was afraid you'd think I was too broken. I was scared. I'm sorry. I love you Hermione, please don't go."

She looked at him in shock. "I…" she saw a tear fall from his eyes and she instinctively wiped it away. "Draco, I – I…"

"Marry me, Hermione Granger."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Aaaaaand, I leave the rest to the imagination.

*crickets*

:)) What do you think happened afterwards? Leave your speculations in your review!

And this is probably the longest one-shot I've ever written, celebrations! :D And yes, I know it's a bad case of misunderstandings. I keep on writing angsty romance, I'm afraid I'm actually quite angsty deep inside. I'll try to avoid angst in the next one-shots, just to give you readers a taste of something new. And yes, this is the first time I tried writing sexual situations (not even close, eh?) so pardon me if it sounded like a burning and dying hopeless romantic had written it.

Stand by for the next one-shots! I don't think I'll stop until I finish all the songs in the album so... ;D


	3. Bad

**Author's Note: **One of our Gryffindor friends makes a guest appearance in this chapter, and if you get the irony of why he's the one in such a role, then I cyber high-five you. With a giggle. This one-shot is based on the third song from the album, Bad.

**Rating: **T (or M, for Merlin's period)

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Disclaimer: **The song and the characters are not mine.

* * *

Hermione stared at the buzzing phone on the table with cool disregard. Seamus Finnigan, the bartender, looked at her with concern. "Ye alright there, Hermione?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." She replied as she rejected the call.

"That's 'bout the fifth time your husband's called you tonight." Seamus observed as he set another martini in front of Hermione.

The brunette shrugged, reaching for the glass. Her phone lit up and started buzzing again. "This is the eleventh, actually." She corrected her old house mate from Hogwarts. "He's been calling since the other bar." She added with a sly laugh.

A hand reached over her shoulder and grabbed her martini before Hermione could get it herself. She turned and looked at the perpetrator with a glare, ready to hex whoever it was who had the audacity to grab her drink and came face to face with another familiar face from Hogwarts.

"Malfoy." She regarded him with disdain. He smirked and tipped an imaginary hat at her before proceeding to down her drink. Annoyed, she turned to ask Seamus for another drink, preferably something stronger. Truth to be told, she wasn't in the mood to slap Malfoy silly. She had other problems in mind. Sneaking a look at her phone, Hermione noted that it was still buzzing relentlessly. She huffed.

Malfoy seemed undaunted by her lack of response and proceeded to sit down on the bar stool beside hers. "What's this, _Granger_, ignoring your husband?" he asked, staring at her phone's screen as well. He turned to Seamus to order his own drink before smirking at the former Gryffindor beside him again.

"Good grief Malfoy. Mind your own business before I decide to hit you again like I did all those years ago." Hermione answered back with a hiss as she pushed the reject button once more.

That got to him. Draco shut up.

For a second, that is.

"Weren't you all lovey dovey with him just a week ago?" he asked, enjoying the fact that Hermione's fist was clenching tighter and tighter by the minute.

Seamus assessed the situation with unguarded amusement. He set the drinks in front of the two, but they didn't seem to notice him. Hermione was glaring daggers at Draco, who just kept his hands in his pockets in a pose of carelessness with a teasing grin tugging at his lips. It was almost comical, the way Hermione growled and pounced on her phone when it started to ring again. She looked just about ready to throw the blasted thing to the ground before Draco caught her wrist in one fluid movement. Seamus and Hermione both snapped to attention, wary of what he was going to do. Post-war or not, one couldn't deny that Draco Malfoy had a knack for petty violence. Then again, Hermione was a woman… who could take him on if she needed to.

"Now now, _princess,_" he whispered with a very amused smile. "We all know you'd regret ruining that Muggle contraption of yours." He took the phone from her hand and handed it to Seamus who gave him a puzzled look in return before taking it.

Seamus was amused. Positively tickled. Not only had Draco friggin' Malfoy called Hermione a princess, he also stopped her from wrecking her phone _and _referenced her non-magic origins without as much as a hint of disgust. Seamus figured the former Slytherin was probably as wasted as the girl whose wrist he still did not let go of.

Hermione on the other hand, didn't seem to be echoing Seamus' thoughts. Her expression was that of a goldfish's. Her mouth was opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite get the words out because of her surprise. However, her expression turned into fury and she lunged at Draco, her free hand clawing at his. "Let go, Malfoy."

He complied, his face turning passive before he turned to his drink. Hermione was mumbling profanities under her breath as she haphazardly downed hers. Draco's hands found their way back into his black jacket's pockets, which looked suspiciously muggle-made. Seamus raised a brow, but chose not to comment. As a bartender, he'd learned that petty disputes between patrons was something better left alone, unless they threatened the safety of others, and himself, of course. He'd heard that Draco Malfoy rebelled and chose to live a Muggle lifestyle to tick his father off after the war, but until now Seamus thought that it was just a rumor.

When the phone in Seamus' hand started buzzing again, he made a move to hand it back to its owner, but the deadly look on Hermione's face was enough to make him retract his hand lest he feared of losing it in an unfortunate incident brought by her fury. Malfoy noticed this and didn't bother to hide the amused chuckle that escaped from his lips. This only infuriated Hermione more. "Sod off, Malfoy." She grumbled, turning to leave.

"Dance with me." It wasn't a request, nor was it an outright command. Seamus and Hermione both took a double take on that. The Irish bartender tanked his lucky stars that there weren't much people to attend to at the moment. He wouldn't have seen his very interesting exchange had there been any.

Hermione's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?"

"You heard me, Granger."

"I did. Apparently I'm sober enough to hear things."

A shrug.

"But not understand them."

Malfoy looked absolutely puzzled at that, but his mask of indifference took over in a split second.

"Why in Merlin's bloody knickers would you think I'd dance with you?"

Seamus noted that Merlin probably didn't have a period, but with the way the bushy-haired brunette was acting tonight, she probably had hers.

Malfoy shrugged again, as if to say, _why not? _"Because it's already 3 in the morning, and you're obviously avoiding your husband." He replied coolly, indicating the phone that Seamus was still holding. It had stopped buzzing, thank Merlin, at least for now. "I can help… _distract _you." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, laughing as Hermione leaned forward to slap his shoulder in annoyance.

Merlin's non-bloody knickers, were these two flirting? Seamus gave a shudder, suddenly thankful that some patrons just came in.

Draco turned back to the other former Gryffindor. "Finnigan, keep an eye on her annoying little Muggle belonging." He said, pointing to the now silent phone. Seamus nodded, surprised when Malfoy stood up and took Hermione's hand to take her to the dance floor, and she didn't seem to object.

* * *

"So, what's a good girl like you doing in a place like this?" Draco asked conversationally as they started moving to the music. Sultry, Draco noted with an amused smirk. Hermione regarded him with barely masked wariness, but she moved against him all the same.

"Being bad." She shrugged conspiratorially, earning another chuckle form the blonde.

The dance floor was quite full, which explained why most of the tables seemed empty, forcing Draco and Hermione to be pushed against each other as they danced, whether they liked it or not.

He liked it, Draco decided as he took in the scent of the woman dancing with him. She smelled of the martinis she had been drinking, but she also smelled of vanilla. Her scent enamored him, and he slipped a hand on her waist to pull her closer.

Hermione ignored the nagging thought that she was dancing with Draco Malfoy, of all people. Not to mention she was ignoring her husband's calls, and now she was flirting with her childhood enemy. Her breath hitched when she felt his hand at her waist to pull her closer, and she decided to throw all caution to the wind as she leaned closer, lightly brushing her lips down his throat as she move sensually against him. Logical, prim and proper Hermione Granger could go take a hike, she thought, as she inhaled the masculine scent of the man she was dancing with.

Draco gave a start, not quite expecting her to do what she just did. After all, this was bookish Granger. Who knew she could move as sensually as this? He felt her nip his collarbone through his shirt and groaned. "Granger." He muttered warningly. She ignored him and proceeded to trail kisses on his throat. "Hermione." She looked up at him, her brown eyes dilated. "You're being a very bad girl." He muttered, before pulling her to him.

Hermione tried to suppress the excited gasp she made when Malfoy roughly pressed his lips against her, his breaths ragged. They had stopped dancing altogether, and she lifted her hands to entangle them in his blonde tresses. She moaned as he tugged at her lower lip to ask for permission which she granted.

* * *

Seamus was pretty sure it took only five minutes tops for the two to start making out. They were obviously going to spontaneously combust if they didn't, considering the way the moved against once another on the dance floor. He shrugged, as it wasn't an unfamiliar sight in the bar. But still, Hermione and Draco Malfoy?

When Draco pulled a giggling Hermione back to the bar to retrieve their things, Seamus was almost glad to get rid of the two. He hoped they made it to a room before they tarnished their reputations even further. Wordlessly, he handed Malfoy Hermione's phone and Draco paid him for both of their tabs, Hermione unsubtly planting kisses on his neck as she hugged him from behind. A wild Hermione was definitely a sight to behold, Seamus realized, before Draco growled at him and pulled the brunette out of the bar, their coats in tow.

* * *

Apparating them both back to the Manor, Draco looked at Hermione. She looked thoroughly kissed, and he smirked, knowing her husband would hex anyone who dared do this to her. "I'm gonna be in big trouble once your husband finds out I'm about to bed his wife, huh?"

Hermione's lip quirked up in amusement. "Oh yeah, definitely. But not if he hexes me first for ignoring his calls and messages." She shrugged, "He's a prat though, you know, kinda like you." she added as an afterthought.

Draco laughed, kissing her on the corner of her lips, teasing her. "Aren't you a bad girl?"

Hermione chuckled, slapping him lightly on the arm. "I know I shouldn't have taught you how to use a phone."

* * *

Seamus sighed as he ended his shift. Hermione and Draco Malfoy. It was disturbing how those two could fight and make up like that.

Poor Seamus, if only he knew.

* * *

"This role-playing is fun." Hermione giggled as Draco took off their coats and hung them up.

"I didn't realize you were such a kinky woman, Hermione." Draco teased before turning to her.

That made her laugh harder. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh really?" he grinned before he tackled his wife to the bed. She giggled. "I told you Hermione, being bad is fun once in a while."

"Oh yeah, we definitely should do that more."

"You've really drunk more martinis than you could take, love."

* * *

**Author's Note: ***Cackles* I'd like to think it was a twisty one-shot, with a lot of hints along the way. So, how was it? :D


	4. Holiday Special Part I: Mystery Song

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Thanks for your reviews, favorites and follows for this series so far. Now, I present to you the fourth one-shot. I decided to write, as I had just finished Reached, the third book in the Matched trilogy and had time to spare before reading another book or watching a movie. It's a lovely trilogy, I tell you.

Anyways, back to the one-shot at hand. Because it's Christmas, this one won't be a one-shot. It's gonna be a two-shot! To add to the thrill, I'm going to have you guess which song inspired this two-shot. It will be obvious by next chapter, but feel free to speculate. ;) This chapter is the prologue, and the elements inspired by the song aren't quite here yet.

**Rating: **K

**Genre: **Friendship

**Disclaimer: **The song and the characters are not mine. If they were then I'm probably super rich by now, which I'm not. And that's sad.

* * *

"So, all of our friends are hooking up."

"Malfoy, I'd very much prefer the term 'getting together'."

"Oh c'mon, Granger. You know it's true. I mean, you've seen Potter and the Weaselette snogging like there's no tomorrow! And don't even get me started on the male Weasel and Pansy. I am shuddering at the thought."

Hermione poked the blond sitting beside her on the couch of the Granger's living room, pretending to watch something on the TV which was suspiciously muted. "Even though its true doesn't mean we can label it that way." She replied, smirking.

"Hey, I know that smirk."

"What smirk?" another smirk.

Draco chuckled and in turn poked Hermione's side. She yelped and swatted his hand away. "Well what do you know Granger, I've grown on you."

Hermione sniffed. "I happen to know quite a lot, thank you very much."

Draco shook his head in amusement and reverted back to the earlier topic. "Hell, I heard even Loony and Blaise have started getting it on."

This earned him a swat on the shoulder. "Draco!"

He grinned. "What are we watching anyway?" he asked, turning to the still mute TV.

Hermione frowned. "Some sort of documentary. I don't know, it's not like I can hear it."

Draco gave a mock gasp. "Granger, you have to at least turn up the volume so your parents wouldn't think _we _were getting it on out here."

Hermione glared. "Well, it is pretty hard to not let you grow on me. Then again, since when were you my friend?"

"Since we found ourselves working on that project together. I mean, seriously, Granger, did you really have to pick the same university? _And the exact same schedule?_"

"You're being mean." She whined, chucking a pillow at him.

"I have to take advantage of the time I have left to annoy you." He muttered defensively.

Hermione's brow rose. "Is that what this is about?"

"What _that_?"

"Draco," Hermione grinned evilly. "Are you saying you're going to miss me?"

"Miss you?" Draco reacted as if scandalized. "Why would I miss such a buck-toothed, bushy-haired, know-." He was interrupted by Hermione giving him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm going to miss you too, insufferable jerk." She grinned affectionately.

Draco blushed, and shifted his gaze to the floor. He unconsciously touched his cheek and mumbled something that sounded like, "Well, if that's the case…"

* * *

"_Gosh, Hermione, I'm so sorry. I can't believe you got Draco I'm-an-idiot-a-rich-idiot Malfoy as your partner for that course." Ginny Weasley consoled her friend._

_Hermione shook her head. "Nothing we can do about it. Gin. Except pass the class, of course. And I'm not going to let that prick be the reason for me to fail."_

"_He teased us mercilessly since we were eleven, Hermione." Harry Potter groaned, lamenting his best friend's misfortune. _

_Ron Weasley nodded. "Not to mention he's managed to call you every unacceptable name one could possibly be called."_

"_Can't you shift or something?" Luna proposed, earning puzzled looks from her friends at her present 'sanity'. Luna seldom talked with sense, as she was always mumbling about non-existent creatures that apparently, no one else knew about. She and Ginny were a year below the rest of their friends, and were still in high school while their friends have gone on to their respective colleges. Well, mainly Hermione and Neville Longbottom, who attended the same college, but with different majors, as Ron and Harry decided to forgo college. Just for the moment, everyone else hoped._

_Neville shook his head and answered for Hermione. "Unfortunately, just as she was going to ask for a change in matriculation, the office closed. And today's the last day for shifting schedules so…" _

_The group groaned collectively. Hermione huffed. "Seriously guys, you react as if _you _were the ones who had to face him every day. I'm the one, so just chill. I can handle Malfoy."_

_A chuckle made everyone turn and come face to face with the said person and his little posse of equally rich and horrible so-called 'friends'. "Well well well, look at who we have here. Potter and his little group of losers." Pansy Parkinson sneered. _

_Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle grunted incoherently. One would think that was the only sound they were capable of making. One would probably be right. The other member of the so-called "Snakes" sniggered. _

_The group's self-appointed leader, Draco Malfoy, smirked. "We'd love to stay and chat, but being with the rabbit know-it-all for the rest of my semester is enough exposure for me." _

"_You know very well Hermione has had braces and gotten her teeth fixed since we were eleven, Malfoy. Then again, you were always stupid, so I don't think you noticed." Ron growled, stepping forward. Harry put hand on his shoulder. _

"_Was that what that was? I always thought it was the work of tooth elves." Luna piped up, confusing everyone present. _

_Pansy frowned. "Drakey-poo, you didn't tell me the lowlife was in your classes." She narrowed her eyes at Hermione. _

_Draco shrugged, looking irritated at how Pansy was practically draped across him. "Didn't think you had time, what with all the time you spent babbling about your latest nail polish." _

_Neville hid his laugh with a cough, earning a glare from all the Snakes._

"_I'm bored." Daphne Greengrass complained. "Let's go." She pulled her latest boyfriend, Anthony Goldstein. He wasn't a Snake, but he was a smart guy. Daphne probably set her eyes on him so she could pass high school. Once she was done with him though, everyone knew she'd drop him and he'd go back to being a nobody in the social food chain. _

_As the group left, Neville shook his head. "If they weren't such mean jerks, I would feel sorry for those guys." _

_Ginny crinkled her nose. "You're right, those girls are annoying. And that's coming from a girl." She sounded disgusted. _

"_You were raised with six brothers." Ron reminded her. "I hardly think you can be considered as a girl."_

"_Ron!" Hermione chided, and Ginny whacked him straight on the head. They all laughed.  
_

* * *

"_I can't believe I got paired with you!" Hermione screamed, earning herself glares from the librarian and the other students in the library._

_Draco ignored her, and sat back on his chair. _

"_Malfoy, are you going to work on this project with me or what?" _

"_I came, Granger. I think my work here is done." He closed his eyes._

"_You are so frustrating!" Hermione screamed, and apologized quickly to everyone else. They pretty much looked like they were ready to kick her out of the library. Through the window. She then stomped to the shelves to look for the books she needed.  
_

* * *

_Hermione opened her eyes, disorientedd. The library was almost empty, and the librarian was already beginning to close up. She groaned. She had fallen asleep and might as well have drooled on her notes, for all she knew. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her laptop, which was still on. The books which were previously cracked open around her were neatly stacked on the corner of the table and Draco was nowhere to be found._

"_That prat." She muttered. _

"_It's almost time to lock up." The librarian informed her. _

_Hermione nodded and started gathering up her things. Her eyes widened when she noticed that the file she was working on now had more words. And was apparently finished. _

_Malfoy._

_She snapped her laptop close and prayed that Malfoy didn't screw her up this time.  
_

* * *

_He didn't. Hermione triple checked the paper they were going to submit and saw that Draco didn't mess it up to mess with her._

_She sighed, and printed the file. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. _

_Damn. Harry and the others would kill her for even thinking that.  
_

* * *

"_He did _what_?" Neville's eyes were the size of platters. He had thick books cradled in his arms, which Hermione knew were for his botany class._

"_Yeah. I couldn't believe it either, but it was pristine."_

"_Maybe he wants to pass as much as you do." Neville suggested, but he sounded dubious. _

"_Glad you liked my work, Granger." A new voice piped up. Hermione and Neville turned in surprise and saw Draco walking right behind them. Hermione flushed. _

"_You're welcome by the way." He gave them a pointed look and walked past them, disappearing into the classroom. _

"_Uh well, this is my stop." Hermione mumbled. "Bye Neville, good luck with your botany class." _

_Neville looked as flabbergasted as the both of them felt. "Yeah. Bye Hermione. And good luck too. With your presentation." _

"_Thanks." She gave a half-hearted grin. "I'm going to need it."  
_

* * *

"We were mainly decent with each other after that." Hermione mused.

"Yeah. And then you went and chose the same schedule the following semester. And the next sem, and the next sem, and all the semesters after that, as a matter of fact, until we graduated last year."

"You know bloody well that wasn't my fault."

"Language, Hermione Jean Granger." He wagged a finger at her. "And admit it, you were stalking me!"

"Maybe _you_ were stalking _me_, Draco Lucius Malfoy!"

Silence.

"Maybe I was." He replied ominously with a small smile.

"Oh my gosh. You didn't!"

"I said maybe." But still, Draco's twinkling eyes said something else.

Hermione groaned and buried her head into the pillow she was clutching. She raised her head and used the pillow the whack Draco.

"But I'm not responsible for our friends 'getting together'."

She shook her head. "No you're not. But still, you're crazy."

He shrugged. "Never said I wasn't."

She laughed. "Well at least now you finally admit it!"

They sat in comfortable silence.

Soon Hermione broke the silence. "I wonder what Paris will be like."

"Full of heavily accented people named Pierre who will be ready to shove their tongues down your throat in what they will pass off as a greeting, I bet. And that would be pretty scandalous, considering you'll be staying there for the whole Christmas season. _Alone_."

"Is that what it's like every time you go and visit?" she asked dryly. "I mean, don't lie, Malfoy, I know you have a chateau there and you stay there every other holiday."

"Every two holidays." He corrected her. "And I was joking. Paris is lovely, as a matter of fact. I'm very sure you'd love it there, _mademoiselle._"

"Hm. I thought you sounded _too _mean."

"Hey, D?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm about to ask you something _very important _and possibly very crazy as well, so don't freak out okay?"

Draco looked at Hermione and nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Help me practice my French?"

"Are you talking about the talking or the kissing? And I don't see what was important about that. Unless it was the kissing."

Hermione snorted and shook her head amusedly. "Draco, _viens avec moi à la Paris_1?"

Draco blinked.

Hermione bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

"_Oui._"

* * *

_1 – Draco, come with me to Paris?_

**Author's Note: **So, which song do you think it is? :D Find out next chapter!


	5. Holiday Special Part II: La La

**Author's Note: **Hey! This is the second part of the holiday special (which is quite overdue by now), and it's actually inspired by the seventh song from the album, _**La La**_. It's one of my favorite songs from the album. If it wasn't clearly stated in the last chapter, I'm confirming it: this two-shot is set in an AU, where they are all non-magical, but in essence are the same characters we know of.

My 2013 project, _**The Scintillating Proposal**_, debuted two weeks ago, and the second chapter had just been put up recently. It's a DMHG multi-chap fic. Here's the summary, and if you're interested, drop by my profile to check it out ;) ~ _Hermione Granger is the biggest name in wedding planning in the wizarding world. While most people didn't expect the war heroine to end up in the business, it's not very surprising given her taste for order and perfection. Her latest project? A wedding that will knock even Merlin's socks off. No problem at all. Except maybe that the groom-to-be is Draco Malfoy._

Anyways, here's the next part of the holiday special, La La. Don't forget to leave a review!

**Rating: **K

**Genre: **Friendship/Romance

**Disclaimer: **The song and the characters are not mine. If they were then I'm probably super rich by now, which I'm not. And that's sad.

* * *

"Please Draco, I can't possibly accept that offer." Hermione told her companion as they stepped of the plane.

"Why not? It's not like anyone's using it right now. The servants aren't even there. They're all on vacation when the chateau is not in use."

Hermione bit her lip, considering. It would save her loads of money to not check in a hotel, after all. "Only if you insist." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still unsure.

Draco grinned. "I do."

With a resigned sigh, Hermione wagged a finger at him, "Okay, I guess I'd accept your offer. Your _very _generous offer. But no funny business, mister."

He chortled. "You wish, Granger."

She winked. "Well I can hope, can't I?" she said, skipping ahead to retrieve her bags.

"Yeah, you can." Draco mumbled, before proceeding to get his own luggage.

* * *

"I still can't believe you said yes, you know." Hermione said as she gaped at the Malfoy chateau. She knew it was going to be big, but not _this _big.

"What, and let you down?" Draco chided, unceremoniously dumping their bags on the floor before retrieving a key from his pocket and opening the door. "We don't want to let you loose in Paris on your own now, do we?"

"It was just for the holidays, Draco." Hermione absently replied as she took in the grandeur of the hall before her. "Besides, doesn't your family have plans?"

Draco clucked his tongue as he grabbed their bags and followed her in. "Exactly. Had you been alone, you might have decided to stay _forever_. Also, the Malfoy Christmas tradition is something that isn't missed."

"And why is that?" Hermione frowned. She figured they would have traveled to some far-off country and lounge lazily in relaxation or something. Stereotypical, yes, but Malfoys were your stereotypical elite whose noses crinkled at the mere presence of people who had less figures in their bank accounts than theirs.

"Because it doesn't exist."

"You're lying."

"Malfoys never lie, o fair one."

Hermione studied the expression on Draco's face. He looked positively serious about the lying part or the fair part, Hermione wasn't quite sure. "Well, that must be terrible." She opted to ignore the last part of his sentence.

Draco shrugged. "You can't miss something you never had."

"I'm going to guarantee that this will be the best Christmas you'll ever experience, then." Hermione grinned.

"Now don't go make me your latest charity case, Granger. You just go on doing what you've planned to do."

"Well, I do have a plan in case you didn't agree to come with me…"

"Wait, you mean you planned your vacation on the assumption that I'd agree?"

"I didn't. I told you, I have a back-up."

"Back-up."

"Yes. No! I mean…" Hermione blushed.

Draco grinned. "Tell me, what's on this plan of yours?"

Hermione sighed. "There are last minute adjustments."

Draco was afraid to ask. His teasing may have had him scrubbed from the rest of her plans. "Like?"

Hermione looked around thoughtfully. "Well, first, we need to decorate your chateau."

Draco bit his lip and nodded. "I guess that can be done." He said, cracking a smile.

* * *

The days prior to Christmas Eve had been mostly enjoyable for the two, having spent the most of it Christmas decorating, shopping, and planning. When not busy with Christmas-related activities, Draco toured Hermione around, amused at how she marveled at every single thing. During the nights they enjoyed meals they prepared, the ingredients of which were freshly bought from the markets during their excursions during the day.

One night, after dinner, Draco had taken Hermione to the library, where she gaped at the huge collection of books. "Um, wow." She had managed to mumble, before she commenced running to the nearest shelf and examining the titles.

"My mother is quite an avid reader, and father doesn't deny her of such simple pleasures." Draco stated as he joined her, picking out a book that looked well-read based on the worn out binding.

Hermione eyed his choice curiously. "_The Count of Monte Cristo_." She noted.

Draco shrugged in self defense, and pointed out her own choice of reading material. "_Jane Eyre_, you're such a _romantic._"

Hermione laughed and proceeded to sit on one of the window seats, watching as Draco sat on one of the chairs nearby and flipped open his book. She blinked, realizing she was staring at him, cleared her throat and opened the book in her hands as well.

It was well into the night and Draco was nearly halfway into the book when he looked up to see what Hermione was doing. Her head was bowed, and she was curled up on the seat, the book she was reading still open on her lap. Her eyes, however, were closed. Draco assumed she had fallen asleep a short while ago, and looked at the clock by the door to determine the time. Startled by how late it was, he put down the book on a nearby table and turned to look at his sleeping companion again. Sighing, he decided that it was better to wake her up than to let her wake up with an impossible body ache in the morning due to her position.

Or, he could carry her.

Frowning at his last thought, Draco watched Hermione as she slept, noticing the tiniest details, the lock of hair that had fallen on her face, her lips opened slightly as she breathed evenly, the way her eyes moved beneath her eyelids. Draco wondered what she was dreaming about, even more so when her lips unconsciously curled into a small smile.

His thoughts wandered back to that night at the library, where he had finished up their paper when he discovered that she had fallen asleep, probably tired from lugging book after book to their table for reference. He had watched her sleep then too, though only as a passing glance accompanied by an uncharacteristic eye roll.

But now, Draco found it hard to comprehend, let alone explain, why her mere presence in the same room as him often resulted to erratic heart beats. He couldn't stop himself from smiling whenever he found himself staring at her, and grateful that she doesn't catch him doing so. He sighed once more and rubbed his temples with his fingers. This simply won't do. Walking over to where the brunette was seated, Draco mentally slapped himself when he froze as her scent reached him. Reaching out to brush off the hair that strayed on her face, he drew back his hand at the last second and instead put it on her shoulder to gently nudge her awake.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, groggily opening her eyes.

"You've fallen asleep. Come on, let's retire to our bedrooms."

She nodded and stood up, the book sliding from her lap to the floor. Fortunately, Draco caught it before it fell to the floor, but Hermione's eyes had already widened. "Oh dear. I'm terribly sorry about that."

Draco walked over to the table and put down the book on it. "It's alright." He said, turning to face her again. She was busy running a hand through her hair, a nervous habit of hers.

Draco found himself wondering how it would feel to have those locks around his fingers, and winced. "Shall we?" he instead asked, trying to get all of his thoughts in order.

Hermione nodded, the sleep gone from her eyes from what happened with the book.

When she had closed the door to her room, Draco wished to open it again and slip inside. Groaning at the turns his thoughts have been taking recently, he half-ran to his own room to sleep it off, convinced that he was probably just exhausted. However, his last though before finally falling asleep was this:

What was so bad about wanting Hermione Granger anyway?

* * *

_"Draco, watch out!"_

Draco was thoughtfully looking at the small tree they had put up by the door of the chateau when he heard Hermione's panicked voice shouting at him. He turned to face the stairs just in time to see her grinning as she slid down the banister, her hair flying behind her. Oh, and he was in her direct line of path.

"Good Lo-" Draco didn't have enough time to react before his arms rose instinctively to catch her. Soon she was in his arms, laughing and reaching up grab his arms to steady herself.

"That was fun." She said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I guess, before you slammed into me." He managed to reply, still quite shocked that she had literally just flown into his arms. Not in the strictest sense of the idiom though. "I think your weight broke my arms."

She laughed and put her forehead to his. "Silly Draco." He grinned as well.

His heart had begun to beat erratically again, and Draco was sure she could feel it. He hoped she'd sum it up to his shock at having to catch her at such short notice and with such inertia. He helped her off the banister and dusted himself off. "So _that_'s why you didn't want to decorate the banisters." He mused, distracting himself from the fact that she had been pressed against him.

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Yeah." She laughed again, a sound which Draco had taken to liking enormously. "Good morning." She added hastily, realizing she hadn't greeted Draco yet.

"Fine morning to you, oh great banister slider." He smirked.

"Christmas Eve later." She reminded him as they both made their way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

"Oh I know, and I was asking myself why I don't have a present for you yet."

She waved her had dismissively. "Letting me stay here and coming with me are quite possibly more than adequate presents, Draco."

He simply gave her a thoughtful look as he reached for the fruit basket on the middle of the table to examine its contents.

* * *

"All this food is obviously too much for the both of us." Hermione giggled, her eyes roaming over the food that was on the table.

"That, and it is also quite ironic that the whole time we've been here we've managed to cook for ourselves but opted for a buffet of take-outs from all sorts of restaurants for our Christmas feast, isn't it?" Draco remarked, crossing his arms.

"Well, that's part of the adventure of being less traditional."

"Oh. All right then, since we're being less traditional, can we have one more on this fine Christmas evening?"

"What do you suggest?"

"At midnight, we dance."

Hermione chuckled. "That's something new. All right, I concur."

Draco smirked, although it was more affectionate than teasing. "I look forward to it."

Hermione gave a small curtsy. "As do I. But for now, let's dig into… what we can."

"Agreed."

* * *

Hermione groaned as she stood up form the table. "I don't think the wine was compatible with lowly take-out."

Draco, despite himself, laughed uproariously. Once he had smothered his laughs, he snuck a look at Hermione who was watching him amusedly. "I think you've had too much of it, too." She commented.

"You're looking quite tipsy yourself, Miss Granger."

"Not a chance." She retorted, walking towards the kitchen door to prove her point. Or rather, stumbling to it and proving Draco's point.

They both laughed.

"Oh dear, it's almost midnight." Hermione said, looking at her watch.

"I do believe you owe me a dance."

"I thought you said midnight?"

Draco shrugged. "Now's as good as later, isn't it? And besides, there's only a few minutes left."

Hermione nodded, suddenly shy. Though she and Draco had been friends for quite a while now, they've never done anything like dance together before. It was all so strange, considering they've spent the most of their lives being rivals before they actually became friends.

Draco held out his hand. "Shall we proceed to the living room? It's roomier. And the smell of the food is becoming nauseating after we've had so much."

Hermione took his outstretched arm and they managed to arrive at the living room with minimal crashing onto bits of furniture here and there, laughing all the while.

Draco pulled Hermione closer and she gasped, placing her hands on his shoulders. "No music?" she asked, finding herself staring into his eyes with such intensity only the wine could have caused.

He leaned in to whisper into her ear. "We'll dance to our own music."

And they danced. Fluidly and gracefully, as if they weren't so drunk earlier. They gazed into each other's eyes, lost in their own world, all traces of intoxication miraculously gone. They spun across the spacious living room, the lights from the decorated Christmas tree catching the crystals on the necklace Hermione wore, sending little dots of light across the room. They moved as if they understood each other, knew each other's thoughts. And perhaps, they did.

And then they stopped, breathing heavily. It was a minute left until midnight. They were still staring into each other's eyes. And Hermione was quite sure she'd died and gone to heaven and was staring into the face of an angel. Funnily, Draco was thinking the same thing. Although he wondered what he could have possibly done to deserve looking into the face of such beauty. In those moments, they forgot about the rest of the world. It was just them, and…

"What would you do if I told you that I love you?" Draco asked breathlessly.

Hermione blinked, and the enchantment was gone. "I'd know you'd be lying." She said, putting her arms back down to her sides and stepping away from Draco.

His face was impassive. "I told you, Malfoys never lie. I want you, Hermione."

"Ah, there it is."

"There is what?"

"The truth."

"What truth?"

"That you don't love me. You _want _me, but you don't love me. That's hardly the same thing." How could the most perfect moment go terribly wrong within seconds?

"No, I _do _love you. I wantto be _with _you."

Hermione sighed, exasperated by the sudden turn of events. "You know what? I think we're just both drunk, and tired. We've been having so much fun until now, and I really don't want to spoil Christmas for either of us, so let's just sleep this off, alright?"

Draco pursed his lips. He nodded stiffly.

If Hermione had expected an argument, she didn't show any sign of surprise that Draco didn't try to stop her. She trudged up the stairs and a few seconds later, Draco heard her bedroom door snap shut. Then the grandfather clock by the hall began to chime.

It was midnight.

It was Christmas.

Draco groaned. He'd botched it up tremendously. Bloody hormones and Freudian slips.

* * *

"Draco, wake up." A slight shaking woke Draco up from his drunken stupor. Hermione's soft voice was urging him to wake up.

"What?" he groaned, blocking the sunlight from hitting his face.

"You fell asleep on the couch. I suppose that's not the best way to wake up on Christmas morning." Hermione was running a hand through her hair.

Draco sat up and stared at her. "Stop that."

Her hand stilled. "Stop what?"

He motioned with his head. "That. What are you so nervous about?"

Her eye twitched. "About last night…"

Memories of the previous night came rushing back to Draco and he inhaled sharply. "Listen, I'm sorry. I really am. I'd turn back time and take back those words if I could, I swear. I didn't mean to say them. I mean, I did, but not that way. Not in that manner, at least."

She nodded silently, dropping her hand onto her lap. She looked back up at him. "I understand. Maybe we should open the presents now. Try and salvage what's left of the Christmas spirit."

Draco nodded reluctantly, wary that things didn't seem to be getting better.

"Let's go?" They left the living room and proceeded to walk to the hall where the presents were sitting beneath the simple tree.

It was a very dreary Christmas morning, not unlike the others Draco had experienced in his whole life. He had rather hoped this Christmas would bee different, but he had botched up that chance last night.

Suddenly, Hermione froze as she realized something. She turned to look at Draco. She looked absolutely shocked, as if she had just remembered something of great importance.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Look above you."

Draco did, and frowned. For there, dangling innocently was a mistletoe they had hung during their first day of their decoration as a sort of joke. They had avoided getting caught under it together… until now. They were both lost in their own thoughts that they forgot about the blasted plant, and now look where that got them.

It was Draco who spoke first. "You know what? I think it's time we do something traditional."

Hermione gave a resigned smile and took a step closer towards him. "Actually, I've been thinking as well."

"About what?" he raised a hand to cup her cheek.

"About what you'd do if…"

"If?" He was leaning closer now.

Their lips were mere inches from each other, and their eyes met tentatively. "If I told you that I love you." She finished, just before he closed his eyes and brought his lips on hers, her eyes fluttering shut as she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck.

They parted and he looked at her with cool amusement in his eyes. "Won't you be lying?"

"Nah. I really thought about it, and maybe we could give it a try."

"Give what a try?"

"Hooking up?" she offered, lazily rolling her eyes up at him.

"Now now Granger, I'd much prefer the term, 'getting together'."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Alright, I was probably high and sleepy when I made this, and since it's been weeks since I updated this last, the continuity is probably as blurry as the murky waters of polluted seas. Sorry about that. :( I'll make sure the next ones will be better!


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